ROYAL PALACE OF CASERTA, Interior

Coming in from the main façade, the entrance opens up onto the immense lobby that continues along the palace and opens onto the inner courtyards; in the middle of the courtyards you'll see the octagonal atrium with its grand staircase.

The vestibule and grand staircase are the real architectural jewels of the Palace. The vestibule is the meeting point of all four courtyards and the center of the entire building; the grand staircase is a spectacle of style and features. The flights are decorated with statues of lions, and the statue of King Charles of Bourbon sits on a lion in the central niche. All around, you can see eighteenth-century sculptures alternating with statues from the excavations of the ancient cities buried by Vesuvius.

Two flights take you to the lower vestibule and a single central flight of stairs leads you to the upper vestibule facing the Palatina Chapel and its platform reserved for the king: this part of the palace was most clearly inspired by the Palace of Versailles.

The royal apartments include the Alabardieri Hall, Guards' Hall, and Alessandro Hall, which is located directly at the center of the main façade: they were all built under the direction of Carlo Vanvitelli, the son of the original architect, and weren't completed until the 1800s. The best artists of the kingdom were called to fresco the rooms and decorate them with marbles and stuccoes....